Herniated Disc - L5-S1

My Husband had L5 S1 herniation.  Was in absolute agony for 3 weeks.  Did a shot.  Worked for 3 days then on a Sunday ended up in the ER because he could not deal with the pain.

Back to the spine surgeon Monday.  Surgery Tuesday and the pain relief was immediate.  He is back to working out.  Works with a trainer lifting weights.  Swims and bikes.  Still no running but he is able to speed walk at a sub 15 mm pace.  Running will come with time.

Herniated Disc Pain Relief and Treatments Guide.

Herniated discs are a major cause of disability in people under 45.
I am one of those people.
For the past 3 years I suffer L5S1 disc hernia, the most common type of hernia.
But each case is slightly different and that makes it very difficult to treat.
In my case I also have hyperlordosis, scoliosis and spina bifida.
I have been trying countless treatments and supposed cures. I was often left in disappointment but fortunately found some sources of relief.
I'm not a doctor, just a student with lots of experience with a mother which is a doctor.
At this time, despite my efforts, I have reached a point where I need surgery.
But if I have had the experience and the knowledge I have now I could have avoided this complicated situation for sure.
That's why I made a PDF with my experience and everything I’ve  investigated and used to relieve my pain over the years.

I offer this guide for FREE to those who ask me by mail to this address.
[email protected]

Since my insurance does not cover this type of operation I'm asking for help through the IndieGoGo platform. Through a donation you can get the PDF, “Herniated Disc Pain Relief and Treatments Guide”. Through this platform I will also answer any questions you may have about the subject.

If you share this link, make a donation or just  give it a like on facebook or tweeter you’d be helping me greatly.
http://www.indiegogo.com/herniatesdiscrelief/>
There I explain who I am and where I come from, watch it if you can and share it if you like it.

Currently suffering from intense sciatica due to a herniated L5-S1, which I believe was caused by grunting up a steep climb on a singlespeed MTB, and aggravated while grunting up an even steeper climb on my road bike a year later (this summer).

I went to a sports med orthopod (hoping it was piriformis syndrome), who did two range of motion tests, determined it was spinal in nature, and sent me to the back guy in his same office.  PA for the back guy gave me some meds, a cortisone epidural (which did absolutely nothing for me) and scheduled an MRI.

The MRI showed a bulge in L5-S1, and surgery ("Laminectomy and microdiscectomy") was scheduled.  I felt great about it, until I did a bit of research on the procedure and the doc - neither was very comforting.

Based on advice from others, I found the best back guy I could (within my network), and scheduled a 2nd.  After reviewing the film and records, he diagnosed a herniated disc, not just a bulge (there was a 'floater' that the first guy missed), questioned why a 'laminectomy' had been scheduled (a laminotomy is usually sufficient to gain access to the nerve), spent his time talking to me about the procedure, the recovery, and the liklihood of success.  I scheduled a laminotomy/microdiscectomy with him, to take place in January.

I also received a referral to a pain clinic, where a targeted nerve block was tried (no relief after the lidocaine wore off), and some gabapentin was prescribed.  God bless those little yellow pills - they've made the condition bearable pending surgery.

Avoid surgery unless you can't.  It's a tough call whether the pain is impacting your quality of life to a degree where introducing the risk of back surgery is preferable.  For me, the decision came once I realized that no time, PT, or injections would make me better, and that I didn't much care to live the rest of my life in a constant gabapentin haze.

Best of luck,

SYJ